William kelso



(No Model.)

W. KELSO.

GAR G'UPLING.

No. 492,357. Patented Feb. 21, 1893.

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NrTnD STATES PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM KELSO, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM MOCONWAY,OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 492,357, datedFebruary 21, 1893.

Application led December 1, 1892. Serial No. 458,721. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM KELSO, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and usefulImprovements in Car- Couplers, of which improvements the following is aspecification. p

This invention relates to certain improvements in devices for unlockingand holding in an unlocked position the swinging hook of the .Ianneytype of vertical plane couplers, and the invention has for its object aconstruction whereby the coupler may be unlocked and released from theside of the car, thereby avoiding the necessity of a brake- Inan passingin between the cars for coupling and uncoupling the same.

In general terms the invention consists in the construction andcombination substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,Figure l is an end elevation of a portion of a car having my improvementapplied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the operating handle onan enlarged scale. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views showing differentoperative positions of the operating handle.

The head l, swinging hook 2 and locking pin 3 are of the usual or anysuitable construction. The locking pin 3 is connected by a chain orother flexible connection 4, with the arm 5 of the shaft 6, which issupported in suitable bearings 7 secured to the front sill or end of thecar. The shaft 6 is provided at its outer end with an arm 8 arranged toproject outwardly from the end of the car, and bear at or near its outerend upon the eccentric 9. This cam is loosely mounted upon a pin l0 andis provided with a handle 1l, whereby it may be rotated as required.

In order that the eccentric may bear against the arm 8 at or near thesame point as the arm is moved up and down, the operative portion of theeccentric from the point a, where the arm normally rests is bent outwardas shown in Figs. 3, e and 5. At the point a of least eccentricity, theperipheral edge of the eccentric is inclined or beveled so that the arm8 will have a iiat bearing upon the eccentric as shown in Fig. 3., Fromthe point a the eccentricity increases, so as to gradually raise the armas the eccentric is rotated, and the inclination of the edge of theeccentric decreases, to the point b, where the edge is parallel orapproximately so, with the axis of rotation of the eccentric and wherethe radius of the eccentric is such as to raise the arm to orapproximately to a hori` zontal position, as shown in Fig. 5. The arms 5and 8 of the shaft 6 are so arranged that when the arm 8 is raised to ahorizontal or approximately horizontal position, the locking pinconnected to the arm 5 will be shifted sufficiently to release theswinging hook of the coupler. The opening in the eccentric is madesufficiently large relative to the diameter of the pin 10, as to permitthe non-eccentric portion a d of the eccentric, to bear upon the shoel2, rather than on the pin. By this construction the eccentric will beclamped and held in its several positions by the shoe and arm 8, thelatter pressing the eccentric against the shoe.

I claim herein as my invention-m l. In an unlocking device for carcouplers, the combination of a shaft provided at one end with an arm andhaving its opposite end connected to the locking device of the coupler,and an eccentric for raising the arm and thereby rotate the shaft tounlock the coupler, substantially as set forth.

2. In an unlocking device for car couplers, the combination of a shaftprovided at one end with an arm and having its opposite end connected tothe locking device of the coupler and an eccentric for raising said arm,said eccentric being constructed to bear upon the arm near its outer endin all positions thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. In an unlocking device for car couplers, the combination of a shaftprovided at one end with an arm and having its opposite end connected tothe locking device of the coupler and an eccentric for raising the armand I thereby rotate the shaft to unlock the coupler, the edge of theeccentric being inclined or beveled so as to provide a flat bearing forthe arm, substantially as set forth.

4. In an unlocking device for carecouplers, as against accidentaldisplacementysubstanthe combination of a shaft provided at one tially asset forth. :o end with an arm and having its opposite end In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set connected to the locking device of thecoupmy hand.

5 1er, a loosely mounted eccentric for raising VILLIAM KELSO.

the arm, and a shoe forming a bearing for the Witnesses: eccentric andoperative in connection with O. O. 'KRAUTH,

the arm on the shaft to hold the eccentric C. K. RALL.

